Blended Assessment in Higher Education Collaborative Case Study Work – A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Standard assessment methods in higher education are one-dimensional and leave students and teachers dissatisfied. We propose a blended assessment approach to foster student engagement, self-efficacy, and overall satisfaction by guiding teachers to find sensible assessment combinations to create their courses. We designed, implemented, and evaluated a course adapted with a case study based on the blended assessment approach specially created to address a multitude of assessment methods. We found that a diverse assessment strategy engages students better, furthers their self-organization and self-efficacy, increases their learning outcome, and leaves them generally more satisfied. Based on our findings, we derive a guideline to implement a blended assessment in a course in higher education that enables teachers to use the blended assessment approach in the future effectively. Transparent communication of the rules of assessment, preventing overload and offering a wide range of assessments are some of the guidelines we will show.